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Jolly welcomes ruck help

Matt Murnane

Darren Jolly (right) with Clinton Young (left) and Nick Maxwell at a training session on November 29. Photo: Getty Images

COLLINGWOOD veteran Darren Jolly is looking forward to being managed through his 13th season, believing the Pies now have the ruck back-up to cover him.

Jolly played 20 out of a possible 25 games last season - up four from 2011 when he had Leigh Brown as his tag-team partner - but admits it would be impossible for him to play close to a full season in 2013.

In fact coach Nathan Buckley has already set the parameters for his valuable big man, revealing Jolly will need to manage his ongoing knee issue to give him the best chance of hitting September in prime shape.

Jolly, speaking before flying out for the club's high-altitude training camp in Utah, said he backed Buckley's plan to sit out more games.

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''Gone are the days where you could play out a full year [at my age]. It is just impossible,'' he said.

''And I think if you look at serious teams, having a serious go at the finals, you need to manage your players. I've been managed, which has been really good, to get through the year unscathed and making sure you're flying at the end of the year.''

Buckley is also hopeful that Jolly can play beyond 2013.

''Who knows? At the moment I'm focused on getting through this next three weeks [in Utah], then focused on finishing off the pre-season and then trying to have a good year. I'm not thinking about anything beyond that at this stage,'' he said.

The key to Collingwood not forcing Jolly past his limits this year is the back-up ruckmen the club has procured.

The Pies have already recruited former West Coast ruck-forward Quinten Lynch and are expected to add another battle-hardened big man, Ben Hudson, to further ease the burden.

To compliment the ageing tall timber, the Pies also selected Brodie Grundy - a 202-centimetre, 100 kilogram teenager - at pick 18 in this year's draft to go with Jarrod Witts, a young 209cm and 113kg ruckman.

Jolly said Grundy was an exciting prospect. ''He is a big kid already, which is great,'' he said. ''Wittsy [will] hopefully come up this year and play some games, then Quinten Lynch is there to help and then Ben [Hudson]. So we've got some good stocks now, and we'll challenge each other throughout the year.''

Jolly said he was happy with how his body had recovered during the off-season.